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Monica DiGiovanni | My Wild Beat
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Dear friends,
Right about now we start to feel the restlessness of a long dark winter and have the urge to stretch, open our eyes wide and get our hands in the dirt, in spite of at least a few more weeks of winter. This is still New England! Springtime brings energy from deep within wanting to burst at the seams with cravings for brilliant shades of green to win out over the browns of mud season. Spring is the season for something new, something different, change and all the upheaval it may or may not bring. As we brace ourselves for the tumult of rebirth, by embracing the practice of beginner’s mind, or shoshin in Japanese, we become our own teacher on the path. Beginner’s mind helps us see things without preconceived notions, embodying the curiosity of a child. It dispels boredom, dissolves old belief systems and behaviors, reduces reactionary response and gives the practitioner a sense of spaciousness and joy. It is the practice of wonder.
Just like every practice, there are opportunities to put one foot in front of the other preparing to launch as well as opportunities to trip and fall and get back up. With the onset of spring there can also be a renewal of intentions (similar to New Year’s Eve resolutions) to be healthier, get outside more, exercise more and make big changes inspired by the sunshine and warm weather. The desire to evolve and make good on these intentions needs to come from a place of compassion that holds nourishment and a gentleness sprouted from your greatest love. Beginner’s mind cultivates this careful attention while opening up possibilities for a renewed sense of being. Otherwise intentions devolve into belittling or harsh voices that criticize progress while diminishing inspiration. Don’t get stuck in mud season mind! See below for a blog link with a nourishing, sweet beginner’s mind visualization practice and multiple offerings imbued with compassion and designed to nurture inner strength and fortitude.
With love, Monica
P.S. Stay tuned for the next newsletter which will include a fun new take on props as well as some information on a spring liver and gallbladder cleanse! Make sure you update your newsletter settings to include "local updates". |
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Dance with Fire:
Unlock Creative Potential
Through Yogic Practices and the Arts
Have you ever wished for a little guidance getting through a creative block? Are you looking to try a new way of doing things? Are you looking to find your creative voice? We'll go deep into body-mind to explore the unlimited potential of your innate creativity. Not just for artists, this workshop is for anyone wanting to hear, feel and see their own creative potential. See full workshop descriptions through Monica's website.
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The Dance with Fire series offers a unique opportunity to open the doors of great change
Week 1, April 21: Beginner's Mind Are you struggling to see a new worldview beyond standards you’ve outgrown? Dive beneath the surface of grouchy moods, dissatisfaction, confusion and frustration by uncovering underlying motivations. Register...
Week 2, April 28: Opening Do you long for ease of being? How can you loosen the constrictions and burdens placed on you by life, relations, society and even yourself that manifest as creative blocks, feeling “voiceless” or a sense of alienation? Register...
Week 3, May 5: Fear Fear of the unknown or unfamiliar can be paralyzing, causing poor decision-making or lack of action. Learn how to embrace challenge and change while enjoying the liberation of letting go of old habits, experiences and belief systems. Register...
Week 4, May 12: Know Thy Self What makes you come alive? If you have difficulty answering that question it's time to become intimate with your edge. The edge is the uncomfortable place where great potential germinates, waiting to bloom, the place where the seeds of Self are buried. Register...
Week 5, May 19: Creativity and the Brain Creativity is the act of making connections, it’s what makes us, us. Learn some of the science behind how yogic practices and ancient techniques heal us mentally, physically and emotionally. Ground creative practice in a way that is healthy and sustainable.Register...
Week 6, May 26: Let it Flow Explore the differences between “brain” and “mind”, requiring a particular kind of focus developed by skillful practice. Tap into source intelligence, an exploration of unconscious understanding, to discover the answers within. Register...
Week 7, June 6: Creating space You are enough! And you have everything you need right now. We are constantly receiving messages that we need more…more money, more happiness, more material possessions, etc. But what is it that you really need to thrive? Register...
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Register for the entire Dance With Fire series or
for individual workshops...
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Dates and time:
Saturdays, April 21 - June 2, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Cost:
Series - $280 (save $35) register here
Individual workshop - $45 register here
Special offer! Previous Dance with Fire participant discounts:
$35/ workshop ($10 savings) or $224 / series (20% off)
Contact Monica directly to register as a previous participant.
Full series and workshop descriptions
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Strengthen your core and upper body
Starting in April!
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Gentle-Moderate Yoga for Core and Upper Body Strength, (Series 1)
Great for beginners or moderate practitioners wanting to go deeper. This series offers a chance to experience better body awareness while building strength and integrity in a supportive environment. Topics will cover:
- Pelvic and shoulder girdle anatomy
- Proper adjustments necessary for individual bodies within specific poses (asana)
- An in depth exploration of movement focused on hips and shoulders to begin retraining somatic memory
- The relationship between core integrity and proper breathing practices (pranayama)
This eight-week series will help you find stability and ease in asana such as downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana) and plank (phalakasana) as well as with more mobility and balance in standing poses such as warrior poses (virabhadrasana), triangle (trikonasana) and extended side angle pose (utthita parsvakonasana). Complete series description...
When: Wednesdays, April 18 - May 6, 5:15-6:30 pm
Where: Bethany Church, Main Street, Montpelier, VT
Cost: 8 classes for $88, payable by cash check, credit card or ApplePay
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Gentle-Moderate Yoga for Core and Upper Body Strength, (Series 2)
Building the on the movement experience and understanding from series 1, series 2 will take posture (asana) and breathing (pranayama) practice to the next level! Come alive in poses such as half moon (ardha chandrasana), dancer’s pose (natarajasana), crow (bakasana), side plank (vasisthasana), and boat (paripurna navasana) to name few. Each week students will be guided through a series of preparatory poses with key alignment cuing to open and prepare the body for deeper asana exploration. Complete series description...
When: Thursdays, April 5 - May 31 (no class April 26), 5:15-6:30 pm
Where: Bethany Church, Main Street, Montpelier, VT
Cost: 8 classes for $88, payable by cash check, credit card or ApplePay
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Reinvigorate your home practice...
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If the motivation is there and yet sticking to a regular practice schedule is still a challenge, I offer a special one-on-one support package
to keep you on track.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
One, one-hour face-to-face lesson
and
Three, 20-minute follow up coaching conversations over the phone
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This package works wonderfully for people with busy schedules or who live in far away locations. Let me assist you in designing a practice to take home
and the support you need to stay with it.
Cost: $100
Contact Monica for more info or to make an appointment
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Weekly Drop-in Class
Gentle Flow
Friday, 12:00-1:00 pm
Expand the edges of your practice with this gentle asana flow. By moving slowly with ease and grace you can fine-tune the individual qualities of your practice and enjoy a nurturing break from your day or a more vigorous physical practice. Creative sequencing, focus on the breath, proper alignment and conscious transitions combined with gentle cuing and just the right dose of theme-based encouragement guide the practitioner to delve into deep concentration, build self-awareness and nestle into the body without pressure.
All levels welcome.
Hosted by Embodied Drop-in cost for regular classes is $16 / $12
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“This
Sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love,
Love.”
~ Hafiz ~
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MSAC Classes
Yoga for Focus and Fitness
Wednesdays, 1:30 - 2:45 pm
Do you enjoy physical activities such as running, crosscountry skiing, dancing, biking, hiking and rollerblading? This intermediate class is suitable for anyone with an active life.
Gentle-Moderate Yoga
Friday, 2:30 - 3:45 pm
Stretch, decompress and clear mental space with this Friday afternoon class designed to ease you into the weekend. Students are guided to find harmony between breath and movement and to be present moment to moment.
Both series are 12 weeks
starting the week of April 9
Registration must happen in advance
through Montpelier Senior Activity Center
Classes are held at the Barre Street, Montpelier location
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Visualization Meditation practice:
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Cultivate beginner's mind by exploring
a more expansive sense of scale.
It is our nature to evolve. From the cellular level to that of our day-to-day existence, even those of us who prefer stability and security as opposed to throwing chance to the wind are in a continuous process of change. When we are open to this inevitable movement we settle into the rhythms of life with a sense of ease and grace. When we become rigid and resistant, life finds uncomfortable ways of reminding us that there are greater forces at work. This is the time to cultivate beginner’s mind or shoshin in Japanese. These short, accessible visualization meditations are designed to help you open your mind and discover a new view.
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See yourself approaching an empty beach that stretches for miles to the left and right of you. In front of you, see the line where ocean meets sand and where sky meets ocean. See yourself the size of a single grain of sand nested on the shoreline...
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Enjoy the whole meditation as well as two others.
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And For No Reason
by Hafiz
And
For no reason
I start skipping like a child.
And
For no reason
I turn into a leaf
That is carried so high
I kiss the Sun's mouth
And dissolve.
And
For no reason
A thousand birds
Choose my head for a conference table,
Start passing their
Cups of wine
And their wild songbooks all around.
And
For every reason in existence
I begin to eternally,
To eternally laugh and love!
When I turn into a leaf
And start dancing,
I run to kiss our beautiful Friend
And I dissolve in the Truth
That I Am.
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